A Spartan Story
by Austin Seville
Summary: One of the last SPARTAN-II soldiers, stationed aboard the UNSC Infinity, finds his place in the world. Includes OC character and a friend from another site.
1. Atlas

A changing table, a toy chest, a small bed, a dresser and a TV; everything you'd expect from a small child's bedroom. In the middle of it all sat young Austin Keith, a 5 year-old boy with a thin, short frame. He stood only 38 inches tall- short for his age- and appeared frail judging by the size of his small limbs. The child wore only two articles of clothing: a blue Pokémon t-shirt and a plain, white diaper with blue tapes.

Austin lay on his stomach, watching excitedly as the cars from the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series roared around one of the race tracks on Earth. His bright, blue eyes watched intently as his favorite car, the number 11, circled the oval in the third position. His blonde hair lay in a cute style, framing his soft, childish features. Anyone looking into the room would have seen complete innocence, were it not for one crucial circumstance: the room was onboard the UNSC _Infinity_.

Suddenly, the sound of knocking echoed through the room, and immediately Austin paused the recording. In just over a minute he changed into a special black and yellow onesie, his previous demeanor all but forgotten as he approached the door. The boy tapped a button on a control panel beside the door, and it slid open. Revealed was a well built man in a sort of jumpsuit; Caucasian with short, dark hair. Austin knew him as SPARTAN-IV Edmund Wilhelm.

"Edmund, what's our assignment?" Austin asked.

"It's a big mission on Atlas; Covenant and Promethean forces have overrun Noble Base and we've been assigned to take it back," Edmund answered.

"I presume Simon and Gamma are waiting for us?" Austin queried.

"Of course," Edmund confirmed as they headed back from whence he'd come. Soon the two super soldiers arrived in a large room onboard the infinity, designed specifically to help SPARTAN soldiers armor up. Austin and Edmund met up with two other SPARTAN's, Gamma and Simon Seville. Both were SPARTAN IV's and members of the same fireteam.

Gamma was a quiet man whose origins were unknown to the UNSC. He has dark, almost black hair and bright, green eyes. His skin is tanned and he has very rough features. Gamma is very soft spoken, though; a textbook strong, silent type. He specializes in heavy weapons and explosives, but as a result is lacking when it comes to mobility. Gamma is a close friend of Edmund's, and both joined the fireteam at the same time.

Simon Seville, on the other hand, is a very different soldier. He has chocolate brown hair, bright blue eyes and pale skin. Simon stands a solid 6'9" and is well built, making him a force to be reckoned with. In addition, his intelligence is second to none, so naturally most of the strategizing falls on his shoulders. Despite his overall intimidating appearance, Simon has soft features and a kind demeanor, making him rather kind-hearted for a super soldier.

"Ready to go, gentlemen?" Austin questioned.

"Yes, sir!" the other three SPARTAN's answered.

"Alright then, let's suit up!" Austin ordered. Utilizing special machines, the SPARTAN's quickly donned their customized armor. Ready to start their mission, Fireteam Apex hurried to their pelican transport. The UNSC aircraft took the squad down to the planet Atlas, dropping them off close to the entrance to Noble Base. Upon arrival, they were directed to a squad of Marines waiting to assist them in recapturing the base.

"Alpha Squad ready to assist, sir," the commanding officer remarked as the Marines saluted the four SPARTAN's.

"Glad to hear it," Austin responded, "Let's go over our strategy before we go inside." The Marines instantly backpedalled; the little kid was in charge?

"Wait, you expect us to believe that _you're_ in charge?" one of the Marines questioned.

"Wait, I thought they weren't using kids in the SPARTAN-IV program…" another remarked, confused.

"SPARTAN-II Austin triple-zero, Marines," Austin corrected them. The Marines ignored him as the situation quickly deteriorated.

"Taking orders from a child; does the UNSC think this situation is a joke?" a third Marine said to no one in particular. Finally, Austin's temper boiled over; it was time for drastic action. The furious SPARTAN-II threatened to send Alpha Squad in alone; a suicide mission. That shut them up and got things moving; Noble Base was quickly cleared with zero casualties. Austin proved his worth on the battlefield, killing more enemies than all of Alpha Squad combined.

Back onboard the Infinity, Austin quickly removed his armor and headed back to his room. The other members of Apex exchanged disheartened glances before going their separate ways. While Edmund and Gamma headed off together, Simon made his way to Austin's room. Knocking lightly on the door, he stepped back and awaited a response.

It took only a few seconds for the door to slide open, revealing the ship's sole SPARTAN-II. Austin met his teammate with a look of irritation, not happy to have been disturbed. By now he'd changed into a rather childish Power Rangers t-shirt and a fresh diaper, giving him an admittedly cute appearance.

"What do you want, Simon?" he asked bluntly.

"That wasn't like you," Simon responded, "What you did today, that is."

"And you care why?" Austin retorted.

"Why wouldn't I? Do I look some sort of heartless monster to you?" Simon questioned. Austin turned away.

"Because no one has ever cared, not since I got kidnapped. Not even Dr. Halsey…" he muttered. Simon turned his teammate around and was shocked to see tears in his eyes. Frowning, he knelt down in front of the boy.

"Maybe it's time things changed," he remarked. Austin stepped forward and wrapped his arms around his teammate. Simon picked him up and carried him into the room, closing the door behind them. Sitting down in an armchair, Simon gave his teammate a few moments to dry up.

"Better?" he asked. Austin nodded. "Good," Simon responded, "So, what set you off earlier today?" Austin sighed.

"No one ever understands," he explained sadly, "My innocence was stolen from me for a science project. I'm a hardened SPARTAN super soldier, but people can't get past my child-sized body." Simon rubbed Austin's back comfortingly.

"I'm sorry," he remarked, "From now on, I promise I'll have your back. After all, it's hard to say no to a seven-foot killing machine." Austin stifled a childish giggle before blushing in embarrassment.

"That's for sure," he responded.

"Glad to see you smiling again," Simon replied, ruffling Austin's hair. Suddenly, the small boy hugged his teammate tightly.

"Simon…" he asked nervously, "…will you stay and watch NASCAR with me?" he asked.

"Of course," Simon answered, smiling. Austin happily gave his teammate a squeeze before turning around towards the TV. The two then proceeded to watch the rest of the race together, Austin enjoying being with a friend for once in his life. When the race finally ended, Simon stood up and turned towards the door.

"Well, it's getting late; I ought to head out," he remarked, yawning.

"Please don't go…" Austin begged. Simon blinked in surprise as the small boy hugged his leg, looking at him with big, sad eyes. "I don't want to be alone anymore…" It was too much for Simon to resist, not that he was trying. Things were about to change.

* * *

"Fireteam Apex to the armor room immediately," the intercom blared two days later. Edmund and Gamma quickly arrived to find Commander Sarah Palmer waiting for them.

"Where are your teammates?" she asked.

"They should be along shortly, Commander," Edmund answered. Just then, giggling could be heard as Simon carried Austin into the room piggyback style. However, both SPARTAN's immediately ceased their actions at the sight of Commander Palmer, falling in line with their squad.

"Alright Apex, I want a clean mission. You were given the day off yesterday to cool down; I expect no more threats against your Marine comrades," Palmer remarked. Austin stepped forward and spoke.

"Commander, I take full responsibility for the incident on our last mission. I sincerely apologize and promise that it'll never happen again," he stated.

"Glad to hear it, SPARTAN," Palmer responded, "Now, all of you, armor up and head out!"

"Yes ma'am!" the four soldiers replied, saluting. Fireteam Apex then proceeded to armor up, preparing for the day's mission. As they headed off towards their pelican, Commander Palmer smiled in amusement. Now in full armor, Austin rode on Simon's shoulders like a small child. Palmer snapped a photo before the team walked out of sight; this was one for the record books.


	2. Atrus

Captain Thomas Lasky walked through the halls of the UNSC _Infinity_ , an important task at hand. Arriving at the end of an isolated corridor, he knocked on a closed door. A few moments passed, after which it opened to reveal a skyscraper of a man. Lasky, standing a mere 5 foot 11 inches, craned his neck to look at SPARTAN IV Simon Seville. The near 7-foot man was tall even by SPARTAN standards.

"Captain Lasky, to what do I owe this unexpected visit?" Simon asked.

"I need to speak with Austin," Lasky explained, "Important UNSC business."

"You'll have to give him a minute, sir; he's just gotten out of the bath," Simon responded apologetically.

"No problem, SPARTAN," Lasky responded. After a short wait, Austin exited the bathroom wearing a black #11 polo and his usual diaper.

"Captain Lasky, you asked for me?" he remarked.

"Yes, SPARTAN," Lasky confirmed, "FLEETCOM has assigned you an AI, similar to John-117's pairing with Cortana."

"It's not a 'Nanny' model, is it?" Austin questioned tersely.

"I wasn't aware such a model existed," Lasky remarked, confused. Austin sighed.

"Considering my actions on that mission a few days ago, I figured that FLEETCOM would be using this AI to keep an eye on me," he explained.

"I don't believe that's the case, Austin," Lasky responded, "The AI they're giving you is experimental, so it's likely a field test."

"Experimental how?" Austin asked. Lasky shook his head.

"I don't know," he answered, "They wouldn't tell me." Lasky handed a computer chip to the young SPARTAN.

"Thank you, Captain," Austin replied. Lasky nodded and turned to head back towards the bridge. "Oh, and Captain," Austin stopped him, "Is there any truth to the rumors that _he_ is coming aboard?" Lasky paused for a moment in contemplation.

"It's a possibility," he stated. The Captain then walked briskly away. Satisfied, Austin closed the door and walked over to a terminal in the room. Simon watched as the boy inserted the chip, and suddenly a holographic person appeared on the terminal. Unlike most AI, however, this one was… smaller.

"UNSC AI TLR 9276-X reporting for duty," the AI remarked. Both SPARTAN's stared in shock at the AI, which resembled a small boy about Austin's size. What's more, the AI appeared to be clad in a t-shirt and a diaper, just like its young SPARTAN partner. As if that weren't enough, its voice was high and prepubescent, but thankfully carried a bit of authority. All in all, the AI was one of the strangest things the two SPARTAN's had ever seen.

"Do you have a simpler name?" Austin finally asked, regaining his composure.

"I am also referred to as Tyler," the AI answered.

"Nice to meet you, Tyler," Simon remarked, "I'm Simon, and you've already met Austin."

"It's nice to meet you both," Tyler responded happily.

"Tyler, Captain Lasky said you were experimental. Is that true?" Austin asked.

"Yes. I'm the latest in UNSC AI technology, with more power and fewer shortcomings than previous AI," Tyler explained, "Plus, I've been given special countermeasures to prevent rampancy and allow for an infinite lifespan."

"How much more powerful?" Simon questioned. Tyler grinned, and suddenly the ship's AI, Roland, appeared on the terminal.

"Roland, be a dear and have the galley prepare Austin and Simon some free ice cream." Tyler ordered.

"Yes sir," Roland responded, disappearing. Simon's jaw dropped in shock; not even Captain Lasky could boss Roland around like that!

"Sweet, free ice cream! Let's go, Simon!" Austin cheered excitedly, dragging his speechless roommate towards the galley. Tyler couldn't help but laugh.

* * *

The next day, Fireteam Apex had just finished putting on their armor when Captain Lasky walked up with two other SPARTAN's. One had orange, somewhat heavy armor, while the other had lighter, purple armor. The two newcomers had blue and black visors respectively.

"Captain Lasky, to what do we owe this visit?" Austin asked.

"Apex, meet SPARTAN AJ Andrews and SPARTAN Charlene Smith, your new teammates," Lasky remarked.

"I'm grateful for the extra support, Captain," Austin responded.

"Actually, you're coming with me, Austin," Lasky interjected, "Simon, you're running Apex for now." Austin gulped and followed the Captain down the hall; he must've been in big trouble.

Surprisingly, Lasky lead the young SPARTAN to one of the ship's numerous hangars. A pelican sat on one of the pads, prepped for takeoff. Commander Palmer was at the back of the aircraft, alongside the unmistakable form of the galaxy's most famous soldier. Austin was struck speechless at the sight, unable to find his voice.

"Master Chief John-117..." he finally spoke, shocked. Lasky nodded.

"You're working with him today, SPARTAN," he stated. Tyler cheered excitedly in Austin's helmet as the young soldier followed the Captain down to the pelican. Upon arriving at the craft, Lasky proceeded with standard introductions. Both SPARTAN-II's knew Commander Palmer, so she wasn't mentioned. "Chief, meet Austin triple-zero. Austin, meet John-117."

"It's an honor, Chief," Austin remarked. The Chief was silent for a moment.

"...he's really a SPARTAN?" he asked suddenly. With the Chief focused on Lasky, Austin suddenly flipped the famed soldier onto his back, pinning him to the ground.

"You better believe I am," the boy growled. The Chief attempted to free himself, only to find that his young adversary was stronger than he looked.

"Austin! Release him at once!" Lasky ordered. The young SPARTAN stepped back, letting the Chief get back to his feet. "I want no more of that, are we understood?" Lasky questioned.

"Yes, sir," the two SPARTAN's responded in unison.

"Commander Palmer, I'll leave the briefing to you. Good luck," Lasky remarked. Palmer nodded before Lasky turned and headed towards the bridge. The three-SPARTAN team then entered the pelican, sitting down as it took off.

"As you both know, _Infinity_ is clearing out a newly discovered planet called Atrus. However, we've met stiff resistance thus far, from prometheans led by someone similar to the Didact on Requiem. We're en route to the heavily defended base where he's believed to be located. Our mission is to clear the base and eliminate this supposed leader. Understood?" Palmer explained.

"Yes ma'am," the other two SPARTAN's responded. The remainder of the pelican ride was quiet, save for the sounds of equipment being prepared. Scouting reports suggested anywhere from 300 to 1000 enemies, which meant one hellacious fight for the three SPARTAN's. Disembarking the pelican at the designated LZ, the three super soldiers fought their way to the gates of the massive complex.

After busting through the doors, the SPARTAN's cleared the main entryway and gathered around a terminal. Removing Tyler from his helmet, Austin inserted his AI into the forerunner pedestal. Tyler's hologram appeared atop it, surprising the other two soldiers with his attire.

"Tyler, can you hack into the base's systems-" Austin started.

"Already done," the AI responded, producing a holographic map, "You're looking at several interconnected courtyards with just under 600 heat signatures."

"Impressive," the Chief remarked. Palmer nodded, looking over the map of the mountainside facility.

"Tyler, can you download this map-" she began.

"Done; I can guide you straight to the supposed leader," the AI cut in.

"Woah..." Palmer remarked, surprised.

"Nice job, Tyler; keep it up," Austin added, returning the AI to his helmet. The young SPARTAN led the group onward into the first courtyard, following Tyler's instructions. They fought off numerous promethean forces, truly testing their abilities. The area was soon cleared, so the three SPARTAN's followed a hallway to a gorge separating two sections of the complex. A massive bridge spanned the gap, leading the soldiers on.

There were even more enemies in the next area, making it hard to dodge all the gunfire. Even playing it safe, Austin was battered pretty badly and lost both his shoulder plates in the action.

"This Recruit armor is junk," he complained as the three soldiers moved through another hallway.

"Poor equipment never stopped me," the Chief retorted. Austin rolled his eyes as they entered a smaller courtyard full of promethean knights. Springing into action, the SPARTAN's took out as many knights as they could, but were pretty worn down by the end of it. Tyler's directions led the three super soldiers into a large cave, where several Battlewagon Knights surrounded a hologram of the supposedly deceased Ur Didact.

"It's a hologram?" Palmer blurted out.

"Nice, now they know we're here!" Austin growled as he dodged a scattershot burst. An ugly battle broke out, the Battlewagons putting up a hellacious fight. Suddenly, Palmer took a hard, unforeseen Scattershot blast to the midsection, falling to the ground in pain. Austin and the Chief took out the remaining Knights before checking on their newly fallen comrade.

"This looks bad; we need to get out of here, ASAP," the Chief remarked.

"Thankfully, the hologram was just a recording; Tyler's already deleted it," Austin responded.

"Worshipping a recording; that's a new one," Chief remarked, surprised.

"Whatever... have Tyler plot... an escape route!" Palmer ordered through her pain.

"Already done! There's an emergency walkway straight to the exit; activating it now!" Tyler responded. Several hard light bridges extended as the AI spoke, creating a path to the exit over the complex.

"Let's move!" Austin shouted. The Chief picked up Commander Palmer, and the three SPARTAN's headed across the bridge. Only one side of the compound had been cleared, though, so the soldiers had to run through a lot of gunfire. Austin ran between the Chief and the enemies, using a hard light shield to block the assault. However, there were so many shots hitting the shield that it shattered, injuring the young soldier and exposing him.

By the time the SPARTAN's cleared the exit, Austin's armor had all but fallen apart. The young super soldier was bruised and battered, but still led his comrades to the waiting pelican. The Chief set Palmer down as the craft took off, medical personnel attending to her. Seeing as her wound wasn't as bad as initially feared, she was quickly patched up and deemed stable. Just as everything seemed alright, Austin collapsed.

* * *

It had been a long stay in sickbay for one young SPARTAN. Austin had been stuck bedridden for over three weeks while recovering from numerous gunshot wounds and resulting internal bleeding. Still, the boy had pulled through and was now cleared to finish his recovery in his own quarters. Naturally, he was very excited, because he hadn't been able to receive visitors in sickbay. Now, for the first time in weeks, he would get to see his roommate.

Walking felt almost foreign to him as he made his way slowly to the exit of sickbay. He wasn't fully healed, but for the most part his body felt normal. The nurse escorting him stopped and wished him luck as they reached the doors; finally he was headed home. Austin walked up to the doors; the giant, metal panels sliding open in front of him. Taking a deep breath, the boy stepped out into the hallway, free of sickbay at last.

Suddenly and without warning, a large pair of arms scooped him up. It was a swift, playful action, but yet a gentle and careful one as well. The arms belonged to none other than Simon, the much larger SPARTAN trying to surprise his roommate without hurting him. Austin hugged his friend closely, happy to be with him once again. Simon hugged back, one arm around his the boy's back and the other under his padded rump.

"I missed you..." Austin whispered, resting his head again his roommate's toned chest.

"I missed you too, kiddo," Simon responded, ruffling the boy's hair, "Come on, let's go home." Austin just smiled as his friend carried him towards their room; finally things were looking up.

* * *

It had been a long two weeks for Austin, unable to go on any missions until the doctor was sure he'd recovered. Thankfully, today would be his last on the sidelines; his recovery was complete. He was to be evaluated by Commander Palmer- who had healed up nicely- that afternoon, and he would resume duty the next day.

After a short lunch, Austin pulled on a black polo and brushed his hair, wanting to look neat and orderly. Ready to go, the padded, young SPARTAN headed off to meet his commanding officer. The walk to Palmer's usual post was long, but provided Austin with time to consider any questions she might ask in advance. As prepared as he was, the boy still felt quite nervous when he arrived. Still, this had to be done, so he promptly got Palmer's attention.

"Huh? Oh, Austin, you're here," she remarked, looking down at him. She turned back to the monitors for a second. "SPARTAN Miller, you're on your own for a minute; I have a something I need to attend to."

"Understood, Commander," Miller responded. Palmer smiled and turned back to Austin.

"It's been awhile, kid," she stated, "Come with me." Palmer led her youngest underling into a small conference room, the two SPARTAN's sitting down across from each other.

"Glad to see you've healed up, Commander," Austin remarked, trying to ease the tension.

"Thank you, Austin," Palmer replied, "In all seriousness, though, FLEETCOM and I see our mission together a little differently."

"How so?" Austin questioned, confused. Palmer sighed.

"FLEETCOM thinks you simply allowed me to be injured and then nearly got yourself killed trying foolishly to make up for it," she explained. Austin frowned.

"...and what do you think?" he asked, feeling even smaller than he actually was.

"I think that you fought valiantly, and it wasn't your fault that I was injured. After all, the Chief was there too," Palmer responded.

"W-What about on the bridge?" Austin asked.

"I think I owe you my life, SPARTAN," Palmer answered. She stopped for a moment to let the words sink in. "Regardless, FLEETCOM ordered me to kick you out of the Navy," she added.

"So that's it, then?" Austin questioned. Palmer shook her head.

"They wouldn't hear my argument, but the Chief stepped in and vouched for you. That shut them up pretty quick," she explained.

"Wow... he really did that?" Austin sputtered in disbelief. Palmer nodded.

"You really impressed him on that mission, kid," she replied, "Me too." Austin blushed.

"Thanks..." he said shyly, "So... what _are_ you gonna do with me?"

"Well, I think we both know you need some new armor, Lieutenant Commander," Palmer answered, smirking. Austin almost fell out of his chair.

"W-What?" he sputtered, shocked.

"You've been promoted, kid. You're joining me as 2nd in command of the SPARTAN-IV program on _Infinity_ ," Palmer explained.

"I-I'm honored, Commander," Austin responded. Palmer couldn't help but smile.

"Glad to hear it. Come on, you're new armor's waiting," she replied. Austin managed to crack a smile of his own as he got to his feet, following Palmer out of the room. The two soldiers made their way to one of the machines SPARTAN's used to put on their armor.

"Your armor's on this machine. Get suited up, put it on, and meet me in ops," Palmer instructed.

"Yes ma'am," Austin responded. Palmer then headed off to ops, meanwhile Austin ran back to his room and put on his special undersuit. Returning to the indicated armor machine, the young SPARTAN donned his new armor. The golden yellow plates were secured quickly and methodically, the whole process taking about a minute. Austin noted that his new armor looked sturdier than the last set, and a lot fancier.

"Finished, sir. I hope the armor is to your liking," one of the technicians remarked as the SPARTAN stepped forward.

"It is, thank you," Austin responded. As he headed towards Ops, the young SPARTAN slipped Tyler's computer chip into his helmet. The AI came to life immediately, scanning his new environment.

"New armor, nice," Tyler commented, "Do you want me to go over the specs?"

"That would be appreciated," Austin answered. Tyler quickly obliged.

"Your legs are the versatile Mark VI class, your torso is the very exclusive C.I.O. class, your shoulders are the durable Rogue class and lastly, your helmet is the widely revered Scout class. You currently have the Gunner support upgrade equipped as well as the mobility tactical package, but these can be swapped out. They allow you to use turrets with ease, and grant you unlimited sprint," he explained.

"Thank you," Austin replied as he neared Ops. Removing his helmet to ease communication, he stepped into the room. Commander Palmer stood at a comm panel awaiting his arrival, her helmet set to the side.

"Lieutenant Commander, welcome to Ops," she remarked.

"It's an honor," Austin responded.

"Commander, Majestic is in trouble _again_..." one of the fireteam handlers announced suddenly. Palmer sighed.

"I'll handle this; you have command, Austin," she remarked, walking off. Suddenly, a familiar handler got his attention.

"Fireteam Apex has cleared their objective, sir," he announced. SPARTAN Jared Miller, team Crimson's handler, chimed in just seconds later.

"Miller, have Crimson assist Commander Palmer in rescuing Majestic," Austin ordered. The man nodded, and then the young Lt. Commander opened a channel to Apex's comms.

"Apex, a team is coming to set up base at your position. Their pelican is your ride home," he stated.

"Austin? What are you doing giving orders?" Simon questioned, now leading the team.

"I've been promoted to Lieutenant Commander, and at the moment I'm filling in for Palmer," Austin explained, "She's rescuing Majestic again."

"Jeeze, that's the third time this week..." Simon responded, "Anyway, congrats, man. We'll be waiting for that bird," Simon responded.

"Thanks; copy that," Austin replied. As the radio went silent, he couldn't help but smile. Things were really looking up.


	3. Sera

SPARTAN IV Edmund Wilhelm and his roommate, Gamma, must have been the only people on the Infinity not happy to hear of the withdrawal. After discovering a new planet, labelled by the Forerunner as Sera, the ship had initially sent SPARTAN's to clear it for exploration. Not even an hour later, all units were suddenly withdrawn and they had remained idly in orbit ever since. Not much had leaked to the crew about the incident, but certain terms seemed rather prevalent in the last 48 hours: disease, hell, and the description of explosions.

"Elemental." Edmund snapped upright, his eyes darting to the terminal in the center of the room. Gamma mirrored his friend's actions; the room suddenly gaining an extremely serious atmosphere. The head of SPARTAN-II Austin 000 was shown as a hologram, but this wasn't his usual serious demeanor. No, this was a tone reserved for something much worse. "Code Z-66, get to hangar 51 stat!" he instructed. Then the hologram disappeared.

"Gamma, grab Cerberus and let's move."

Elemental and Gamma arrived at the end of a long hall, lined with doors marked 25 through 50. A panel across from the last door slid away, revealing a small, empty room. The author and his OC stepped inside, the passageway closing behind them. In actuality an elevator, the entire room began to descend.

"Activating deviant mode," a computerized voice spoke. Elemental suddenly felt his titular powers return to him, restrained previously to keep from blowing his cover. Gamma, on the other hand, was changed back into his standard Pokeuman form: a menacing Haxorus. The lift slowed to a stop, a doorway opening to reveal a secret hangar. Standing by a large, black Pelican were Austin and the Master Chief, weapons in hand.

"What's the situation?" Elemental asked. Austin motioned the two over to a pair of glowing circles, which they hesitantly stepped inside. Robotic arms swooped down and equipped the two with high-tech armor. Elemental's was similar to a SPARTAN's, while Gamma received a set similar to what Elites wore. The group then boarded the gunship, the Chief in the cockpit, and headed towards the surface of the planet.

"As usual, we've been beaten to the planet by the Covenant," Austin explained, "However, as Elemental should know, Sera is not your usual planet."

"How so?" Gamma questioned, unfamiliar with the series in which the planet was portrayed.

"It's crawling with a glowing, self-aware substance known as imulsion," Austin explained, "Highly flammable and infectious to boot." The Haxorus' eyes widened.

"So let me guess, lambent Covenant?" Elemental questioned. Austin nodded.

"They slaughtered the humans and Locust before becoming infected themselves," he confirmed, "We need to get to the device Adam Fenix created that will eradicate it once and for all." He received a nod from both Elemental and Gamma.

"Got it; where's the machine?" Elemental questioned. Austin stood and pointed out the front of the ship. There sat a ravaged island, with a large tower standing near the center.

"It's on top of that tower. Not enough space to land on top, so we'll set down in front and scale it. Pelican's got a blast shield, so we'll still have a ride home," Austin explained. The craft soon touched down, only a few yards from the tower's open doors. The group exited the ship, sealed its hermetic doors, and headed inside the building.

"Stalks everywhere; look alive," Austin remarked, indicated tall, plant-like structures that seemed to glow. Brandishing their weapons, the group cautiously made their way to the elevators on the other side of the room. It wasn't until they climbed inside that the lambent attacked. However, due to a lack of airborne creatures, they were able to escape the atrium unscathed, arriving at the upper floors. Austin remembered the area.

"No lambent in this area, unless things have changed. Head up the stairs!" he ordered. The group soon arrived at an upstairs hallway that it seemed the Covenant had not reached during their assault. However, the locust guarding Adam Fenix's lab had turned lambent, and one was manning a troika machine gun turret.

"Get some cover!" Gamma barked. Unholstering Cerberus, he popped out from behind a wall and fired a shot at the lambent on the turret. The resulting blast killed a couple others beside it, and opened up the remaining fighters. Elemental and the Chief made quick work of them, and soon the large, barred door was ripped off its hinges by Gamma. Inside stood a balding man who seemed on the cusp of lambency; Adam Fenix.

"Mr. Fenix, I know you don't have much time, but we need to know how to activate your device," Austin spoke. The man seemed to struggle for words.

"Code… Delta… manual… on my desk…" It seemed they had arrived just in time, as the last words were followed immediately by an attack. Gamma put a trio of bullets in his head.

"Recquiescat in pace," Elemental whispered. Austin looked down at the man's corpse for a moment before turning to leave.

"So falls the human race of Sera…" Chief spoke, shaking his head, "Damn Covenant." The group headed out of the room and over to another elevator. This took them to the roof, and the giant machine. Everyone was shocked to find it swarmed with lambent, but managed to cut through the horde with an onslaught of gunfire. Austin eventually managed to force his way inside the machine and seal the door.

"Code: Delta," he remarked, unlocking the console. Within moments he had the machine charging up. This angered the lambent, causing the rooftop to be flooded with explosive locust and Covenant. Austin pressed a button that brought several small pillars up from the ground, holding small, pistol-like weapons.

"Here, a final gift from the humans of Sera: the Hammer of Dawn," he radioed, "Unleash hell." Grabbing the weapons, Gamma and the Chief began incinerating lambent while Elemental used his powers to their full extent. Finally, as the number of lambent slaughtered reached the thousands, the machine activated. Huge pulses began firing outward, the lambent falling to puddles on the ground.

"It's gonna take a lotta clean up for this place to become habitable," Gamma observed. Austin, having exited the machine, nodded.

"For now, let's get the hell out of here," Elemental remarked, slinging some dead imulsion off his shoulder, "I need a shower."


End file.
